Teacher could be fired for eating homemade lunch in classroom

Carissa Lee O'Connell was warned by KCAA Preschools of Hawaii to stop eating her brown bag lunch in front of the children -- or be fired.

Lee O'Connell's husband Rick began preparing organic home lunches for his wife four months ago in an effort to combat her severe nasal allergies.

"Instantly the allergies went away, the colds disappeared and it's all from just eating raw, natural organic food," Rick O'Connell, 53, told KITV4.

Lee O'Connell, 24, has worked as a teacher's aide at the Hawaii Kai campus for the past year. In April, the preschool warned her to either eat what the school served or stop eating her lunches in plain view of the children.

KCAA president Christina Cox said lunch time at the preschool is intended to provide a family-style setting where teachers field questions about the food that's being served. She noted that Lee O'Connell is allowed to eat her own lunch during a ten-minute break or during the children's nap time.

Lee O'Connell's husband believes she's being unfairly targeted. "She's got a choice to either keep her job, or keep her health," he said.

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